Boiled Down to This
by Nkiseki
Summary: France and Germany from the Franco-Prussian War to the European Union.


**Title:** Boiled Down to This

**Word Count:** ~1600

**Characters/Pairings:** France/Germany

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** France and Germany from the Franco-Prussian War to the European Union.

**Notes:** For the obvious pair that gets little love in the English-speaking fandom. Also, because my love for them stems from my econ-geek side.

* * *

France first met the boy during the Franco-Prussian war. He stood next to Prussia when France presented the sword of surrender. Sunny blond hair, glowing sapphire eyes, a serious confidence that promised great things the boy was a sight to behold. The child was a new nation born from war in the care of a nation known for its military might and disciplined soldiers.

"Take the sword for me, Germany," Prussia told the boy as his tone asserted prowess and superiority over the defeated France. France kept his eyes on the ground so that he could not see the condensation on the Germanic kingdom's face. His head stayed bowed when the boy took the sword from his hands so that neither Germany nor Prussia could see the shame and humiliation burn on his face.

During the discussion of the terms of surrender, France arrived at an epiphany: he hated Prussia more than England. When he looked at the child born from Prussia's victory and France's defeat, France knew he hated everything the child nation represented; the embodiment of the Germanic states. Every glance at Germany was a physical reminder of his ineptitude and failure.

For the thirty years that followed, France kept a close watch on Germany as he rebuilt his government. It was his Third Republic, and France prayed to God that this one would last. His cities grew and the number of young French decreased, and France would not have been alarmed had he not compared the number of births against Germany's growing population.

When the Great War came around, France was on a train home from Russia. Austria-Hungary's Archduke had been assassinated, and Austria declared war on Serbia and everything fell apart from there. His friendship with Russia forced him into a war that he did not care about. At first, France barely thought about the war as he was busy in the affairs of the murder of a journalist by the wife of a politician.

But there was Austria and Hungary's young ally: Germany, the nation between France and Russia. The brilliant, strong, and eager Germany who learned all the tactics from his dear brother Prussia had a strategy. He went through Belgium as if her house wasn't there at all and invaded France to avoid a two front war against him and Russia.

Many of France's troops died in the war like no other. Then England descended like an angel sent from God, but England's troops were mowed down like France's own and no one was safe. Death came randomly, and fighting was no longer a matter of pride, honor, and courage. War became a battlefield where you did all you could to survive because it wasn't skill or brilliance that saved you, but luck. France never fought in a war like that one.

It made no difference that his side won in the end, but seeing Germany and Prussia so defeated on the other side of the table at Versailles gave France a deep sense of satisfaction. It was his victory, and France made sure they felt the same shame and humiliation that he faced during at the surrender of the Franco-Prussian war. He had no trophies to parade, but France made sure that the nation born from war felt defeat with every fiber of his being.

He demanded reparations for destroying Northern France. France also wanted Germany to return Alsace and Lorraine. Germany was to bear the sins of the war, not the Austro-Hungary duo. Instead, the pair was to break up. Revenge came at the price of too many lives: 900 men a day on his front alone. France did not want war any more; he wanted peace because another war like the Great War would destroy him and he knew this better than anyone else.

So when Germany's Republic disintegrated into a fascist rule, France looked the other way because he did not want to fight again. It had barely been 20 years since the Great War and France could not afford to lose that many people again. It was too soon for everyone. He was still trying to rebuild his home. France felt so foolish that he believed that the world would not want another. When Germany reached him in his capital, France just did not want to fight.

"If I surrender, swear that you will not hurt my people," France said tiredly.

"I can promise you that I will not hurt the French," Germany answered in his militaristic voice. "But you must cooperate in turning over the Undesirables to my authority."

Somewhere out there, France knew that his people were still fighting-the freedom fighters. They were his hope, and they would save him. France agreed because fewer people died this way.

The war ended with Germany's surrender, just like the first time. France didn't want anything anymore. He just wanted peace. The western allies were to occupy Germany, including Russia who had fallen so deep that France did not even dare to look at the nation. Russia wanted Prussia and then he changed his name to East Germany. Without another word, the Soviet Union drew the iron curtains over them and France never saw Prussia again. It all made America nervous and the western allies were to occupy Germany to keep watch on the USSR.

During his occupation of grey West Germany, France tried not to meddle. But as France watched Germany methodically go through rubble painted in blood, he saw the armor that surround the nation slowly break apart. Left behind was a shell of a nation wrought with guilt and burdened with the sins of millions.

"I'm tired of fighting with you and your family," France confessed. "I've had three hundred years of this with you Germans, since the Holy Roman Empire and I'm just so tired of all this; of war in general."

Neither of them said anything for a long time until West Germany finally looked at France with complete seriousness. "Help me rebuild."

"What?"

"To avoid war means to cooperate," Germany said logically as he dusted his hands. "With cooperation, we would not have conflict."

France blinked at Germany who dressed like a common construction worker. But the look in his eyes, the way he stood, it reflected humility and commanded respect. It was a juxtaposition of sincerity and politics.

"Three hundred years," France said absently.

"I'm not even a hundred yet," Germany answered.

France looked at the other nation, so beaten and tired but still so foolishly optimistic. A smile lit his face and he commented offhandedly, "I wonder whether this will work?"

"We'll make it work," Germany promised with conviction as hope shone through blue eyes.

Forty years later, France stood at the headquarters of the European Union, smiling proudly at the brain child of him and Germany. It was about cooperation and peace and France would have never suspected of working so well with Germany. The nation was accommodating and levelheaded, and he made up for all of France's flaws.

"Like a marriage between the European nations," France muttered to himself as Germany greeted him at the entrance. France greeted Germany with a kiss on the cheek and a smile, "Hello. How have you been?"

France did not understand why Germany's cheeks still tinged pink at the greeting. He thought after years of friendship with Italy, Germany had become used to it by now.

"As well as I can be considering the illness we've all been plagued with lately," Germany answered, as he held the door for France to go first. "Compared to Greece, I'm actually very well. I didn't realize he was doing worst than Spain."

"No one did," France shrugged as they went through security.

"It will destroy the Euro," Germany muttered with a nod at the guards. "And everything you and I have worked to build."

"Have faith, Germany. This little hiccup will not bring down all the EU nations," France said confidently.

"That's what you thought when America first began coughing at the UN meetings and look at what happened there," Germany pointed out as they waited for the elevator to descend from the 11th floor.

"The difference is that America gets into everyone's business and we could not ignore his actions if we tried," France explained when the door to the elevator opened. "Besides, we've mostly recovered from that pandemic."

"You're taking the recovery too lightly. What do we do if inflation skyrockets afterwards," Germany said out of frustration, pressing the button for the 9th floor almost violently after he stepped into the elevator with France. "You know how I feel about that."

"Yes, yes, I know how you feel about inflation and poor economies," France tried to placate as he leaned against the walls of the elevator. "That is why I work hard to make sure mine does reasonably well so that you don't yell at me like an angry wife. Did you get Belgium's SMS earlier inviting us to stay for dinner?"

"Yes. I called her and told her we would be delighted," Germany told France before he started in realization of what he did. He glanced apologetically at France with the bashful expression of a schoolboy, "I hope you don't mind that I assumed."

France grinned smugly as he bumped his shoulder against Germany. "Fueling flames, are we? I thought you didn't like them calling us the husband-wife team of the EU."

"That's not it. I mean, it's not as if we," and Germany trailed off, gesturing weakly at France. It was a little ridiculous that a nation as powerful as Germany could look so embarrassed and shy. France never ever thought he would see such a side to Germany. After a hundred years of hate and friendship, it all boiled down to this.

Just before the elevator stopped and the door slid open, France met Germany halfway and kissed him.

* * *

**Notes:**

The Franco-Prussian War (1871-73) gave birth to Germany in an effort by Otto von Bismarck to unify the Germanic States. Bismarck essentially goaded Louis-Napoleon into a war for the purpose of creating Germany, hence my interpretation of Germany being a nation born from war.

After the humiliation from the Franco-Prussian War, France wanted to get back at Germany so when the Allies won in WWI, France advocated for Germany to pay heavy reparations. Because of the debt to other nations, Germany went through hyperinflation (which is why Germany is extremely controlling of their inflationary policies) and is what many historians believe eventually caused WWII.

The Allies were so demoralized by the destruction of WWI that they didn't want to fight so they turned a blind eye when Nazi-Germany raised to power until Germany invaded Poland. At this point, France and Germany still hated each other. It wasn't until after WWII that the two nations set their differences aside and started a friendship that eventually led to the creation of the EU and being the two major European land powers.


End file.
